Hi guys,
So I'm new here in the community I was searching for a keyboard that had a full layout num pad and all that good stuff, I found one that is really nice (at least it seems) Vortex tab 90M. But after watch all the custom boards I wanted also with a rotary knob and an OLED screen.
Because of that i made a list of things I wanted to make a keyboard for my expectations:
-MCU needs to be a STM32
-OLED Screen
-Rotary Encoder
-USB C (Left or Right side)
-White backlight
-Num Pad (when not being used as num pad could be used for macro using num lock)
-Aluminium case
-Powered by QMK and VIA Configurator support
-Maybe RTC ??
This was inspired by Satisfaction75 mainly and other builds on this forum and Reddit.
If someone wants to give me some input on other features I'm all ears but bear in mind that this is my first keyboard
Hello!Thanks for the info, I was already watching the Hadi YouTube channel and have seen the ai03 guide I also found these:
FOR PCB DESIGN
First of all I think a good starting point for creating your own keyboard is to watch PCB design videos and read ai03's PCB design guide and follow along
ai03's PCB design guide : https://wiki.ai03.com/books/pcb-design
Hadi (Youtube) PCB design guide for 60% board : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbtY7JsOJDYkHNuTmBtGgaWv_qipKeL-u
I understand your preferred layout is 75% but based on these resources it would be a similar technique to get it done.
FOR CASE DESIGN
First of all choose any CAD for your budget, then learn how to use it by reading the docs.
Once you are comfortable with the program, watch this stream to better understand how it all goes together :
Hope this helps!
look at YMD96, TOFU96, Melody96, ep96, Massdrop NYM96
pcbs - RGB96
most of these are usually 96 keys and can be found a little quicker searching for "96"
i'm sure there's more but this is what i could find quickly, might not have all requests but this is not a very popular form factor
another option.... alternate QMK controllers for production keyboards
https://1upkeyboards.com/shop/controllers/unloved-bastard-controller/
https://1upkeyboards.com/shop/controllers/qf-xt-ghost-squid-controller-2/
https://1upkeyboards.com/shop/controllers/rosewill-black-petal-controller/
another form factor you might want to look into is the 1800 layout based off of the cherry g80-1800 keyboards
TKC1800, Drop's Shift, KBD19X, AEGIS (southpaw), hbcp - Custom Compact 1800, etc....
you can also find replacement pcb's for actual cherry g80-1800's as well
might be able to find a case, pcb or plate that might work for what you're looking to do
I really liked the Melody96 case its awesome but in terms of layout I have already an idea of what I want, and it's closer to the vortex tab 90M and I really want to make my PCB to learn how to do itThat screen is going to be an issue.
on the other controllers to be honest I don't know much but for what I've seen QMK is nice and doesn't seem to complicate to use but tanks for the suggestionsShow Image(https://i.imgur.com/NbR8sAM.png)
That screen is going to be an issue.
Small LCDs like this are usually attached to a PCB that is much larger than the LCD. While yours may fit, will everything fit around it? It may need to be lifted off the pcb or dropped below the pcb and you need clearance for everything. Many are also OLED and will have trouble with burn it since it will sit on the same screen for days and hours without changing.
Figure out your screen and how it will fit before you go any further because it will dictate a lot more of your design than you think. Get dimensions render it up in cad and work from there. My little 3d printed 65% while nice was not even remotely close to what I initially envisioned and it was almost entirely due to the lcd options.
Oh, and getting the LCD to work is also a lot more effort than anything else in the firmware. It may be easy if you're a programmer but for someone who isn't the tutorials are not very good and require a LOT of research and effort compared to just getting a working keyboard. Lots of dead ends and lots of outdated information. I'd even recommend getting your controller and LCD and starting on that before you start spending money on anything else, it was that difficult.
Hi mate, well done! You are inspiring me to learn to make a PCB design as well!
got any renders? pics?
let me know if you need a hand with FW or get stuck.
nice. looks good.
- you like the "floating keys" look better than a high profile case?
- does the plate screw into anything? or does the pcb screw to the bottom of the case? (looking at the render, it looks like traymount with the switchplate just being suspended by the switches. (the holes in the plate being large enough for the heads of the screws to go through)
...if that's the case, i'd build it without a plate, or use switchtop opening cutouts in the plate. (lets you play with the switches more without desoldering).